Quantification of emerging micropollutants in an amphipod crustacean by nanoliquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry using multiple reaction monitoring cubed mode

• New method based on miniaturized QuEChERS extraction followed by nanoLC–MS/MS.
• Utilization of the MRM3 mode for the quantification of emerging compounds.
• Evaluation of the bioaccumulation of three micropollutants in Gammarus fossarum.
• Quantification at the scale of one single organism.

An innovative analytical method has been developed to quantify the bioaccumulation in an amphipod crustacean (Gammarus fossarum) of three micropollutants regarded as anthropic-pollution markers: carbamazepine, oxazepam, and testosterone. A liquid-liquid extraction assisted by salts, known as QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) was miniaturised and optimised, so it could be adapted to the low mass samples (approximatively 5 mg dry weight). For this same reason and in order to obtain good sensitivity, ultra-trace analyses were carried out by means of nanoliquid chromatography. A preconcentration system by on-column trapping was optimised to increase the injection volume. In order to improve both sensitivity and selectivity, the multiple reaction monitoring cubed mode analyses (MRM3) were carried out, validated and compared to the classic MRM. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that MRM3 is coupled to nanoliquid chromatography for the analysis and detection of organic micropollutants <300 Da. The optimised extraction method exhibited recoveries superior to 80%. The limits of quantification of the target compounds were 0.3, 0.7 and 4.7 ng/g (wet weight) for oxazepam, carbamazepine and testosterone, respectively and the limits of detection were 0.1, 0.3 and 2.2 ng/g (wet weight), respectively. The intra- and inter-day precisions were inferior to 7.7% and 10.9%, respectively, for the three levels of concentration tested. The analytical strategy developed allowed to obtain limits of quantification lower than 1 ng/g (wet weight) and to establish the kinetic bioconcentration of contaminants within G. fossarum.